Just in case you thought you weren’t familiar with the work of Zhang Huan (his fabulous installation in New York mentioned in Roberta’s post of Jan. 6), you’ve probably seen his work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where this photo hangs of his 1997 performance, “To Raise the Water Level in a Fishpond” (shown). It’s in the hallway that ends in the painting rental place.
What interests me about the new piece is it is part of Zhang’s steady progression away from the communal effort required for the fishpond piece (1997) and the “To Add One Meter to an Anonymous Mountain” piece from 1995 (shown), both of which were created in Beijing, China.
Which is not to say that he didn’t do solo pieces prior or that his current pieces don’t sometimes use a group of people.
